Almaviva - Puento Alto 2021

Almaviva - Puento Alto 2021

Afer a long period of drought during the previous cycle, the rains came back in winter to initiate the vintage 2021 with excellent auspices. the rainfall of 170 mm registered between May and August 2020 was almost 3 times more than the year before, although lower than the historical average of 267 mm. The following months were totally dry, until it surprisingly rained at the end of January 2021, with 54 mm of rainfall at mid-veraison. We had then, fortunately, not any new rain until the end of the harvest. Spring was warm, with budding and flowering occurring 5-7 days earlier than average. Then, Summer was cool, especially after the unexpected rain of January. The average summer temperature was 1°C lower than average, and 1,5°C lower than 2020. The January rain was key to homogenize the ripening process of the grapes, above all after a heterogeneous flowering and fruit set. Although the date of the first stages could have hinted at an early harvest, the picking operations started on March 24th at a normal date, slowly at the beginning, to suddenly increase its pace the second week of April and finally end earlier than usual, on April 30th in Puente Alto, and May 14th in Peumo. The cooler conditions from January to harvest generated an optimal ripening process, great fruit and freshness in the grapes, tension, length, and perfect balance in the wines. An exceptional and unique vintage with great acidity and persistency